Tag Archives: M15

Hardly a day goes by without a new story dealing with mistreatment of individuals during the notorious Bush war on “terrorism.” The full extent of what Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld did the to the human rights movement will probably not be known until years have passed and researchers have conducted extensive historical investigation into the entire process of dehumanizing people in the quest for “security.” A witness has told a British court that suspects were tortured in Pakistan and then interrogated y M15 agents. The Home Office is investigating claims that UK intelligence services colluded with Pakistan interrogators in abusing the rights of suspects. An M15 agent, known as Witness B, admitted this in a court of law. He said that Binyam Mohamed, a British citizen, was beaten and tortured by Pakistan agents and then told if he cooperated “he would get more lenient treatment.”

Donald Rumsfeld used to laugh off charges about mistreatment of suspects and joke that he too had to stand on his feet during the day. Binyam Mohamed is still in Guantanamo and President Obama has not yet moved to have this man returned to the United Kingdom. It is about time the United States government faced up to the disgrace of the Bush years and released those who are innocent.

Among the greatest failures of Intelligence services in the United States and Great Britain has been an insistence to recruit among the “right people” and to ignore recruiting agents from individuals who are members of groups deemed to be threats to the security of nations. Instead of recruiting from Muslim groups, there has been a preference to secure people to serve in spying roles who come from majority groups. The Secret Intelligence Service, M16, has decided to launch a campaign to recruit more agents from minorities and shed its image as an overwhelmingly white male agency. Ten per cent of its latest intake of high flyers– people who will be trained to gather intelligence and recruit agents abroad–were from ethnic minorities. The proportion of women in top jobs dealing with domestic security, M15, is now running at about a 50% level.

Recently, for the first time in its history, M16, decided to openly recruit people by having them sit down with intelligence agents to discuss possible roles in the organization. James Bond has been set aside along with his openly independent method of operation and the organization now seeks people of every color and shape and viewpoint.

During World War II, the famous American secret service, OSS, was headed by “Wild Bill” Donovan, who recruited communists, ex-fascists and people of every political viewpoint because he wanted a spy agency that was diverse in its composition. James Bond, you have no place in a modern intelligence agency.

The head of Britain’s M15 agency, Jonathan Evans, claimed al-Qaeda was educating Muslim children in England to engage in terrorist acts. He said the number of people in England identified as having terrorist links had risen from 1600 to 200. “Terrorist attacks we have seen against the UK are not simply random plots by disparate and fragmented groups” but are the result of planning by al-Qaeda. He went on to warn, “As I speak, terrorists methodically and intentionally targeting young people and children in this country.” He pointed out the police are encountering adolescent children engaged in terrorism.

Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups undoubtedly recruit young people, but the real question is why are they successful in such efforts? A major factor is failure within England to provide education and job opportunities for disaffected young people. The United States has done an excellent job of integrating Muslim immigrants and providing economic and social opportunities for them to achieve their desires. Surely, this is the best weapon against al-Qaeda?